Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

 

Yes I have pre-written this a couple of days ago.....I'm really not that clever that I could fit a blog post into this special day! 

 

I genuinely hope that everyone has a lovely Christmas and gets to spend some time with the people they love.  There is such a big lead up to the big day, so much prepping and planning (which I genuinely love), so I hope you can take the time to relax and enjoy the precious moments of the day, and really feel the magic and truth of Christmas.

 

So, my share today for All About Scrapbooks had to be Christmas inspired right?  Of course!

I got to play with the Fancy Pants Wish Season Collection, (this range is full of gorgeous reds, teals, pinks and woodgrain teamed with script words, trees, deers and snowflakes) LOVE IT!

This is what I came up with:

 

 

This layout is about one of my absolute favourite parts of Christmas.....the Carols. 

I absolutely adore watching them on television and sing my heart out every year, much to my families dismay. 

Ever since I was a little girl I have desperately wanted to be there. 

This year and last year I went along to the Elder Park Carols in Adelaide!!! Just amazing! An absolute dream come true.

I adored everything about it, and its one of those moments that I want to remember forever - so the best way I know to capture this moment is to scrap it.

 

 

I used lots of layers underneath my photo, and the die cuts within this range made it easy to put together. 

I also added some gorgeous chipboard snowflakes from 2 Crafty.  I applied white gesso to them and then added a clear/white glitter.  They look amazing.  The photo doesn't do them justice - they actually really look like snow in real life.  They give the layout texture and sparkle.

 

Well lots to do, so I'll be back next week. 

Merry Christmas and lots of love, magic and joy to you!

 

 

Latest design team work

Hi everyone.

 

Back to share my latest design for All About Scrapbooks.

I recently participated in our local Relay For Life.

After months of planning and fundraising to raise money for Cancer Council, it was here. 

A weekend where so many come together to 'fight' against this awful disease; to support those who are battling or are survivors; to remember those we have lost.

An amazing emotional, uplifting but exhausting weekend! 

 

This layout is about that walk around the track, in those wee hours (between 1 am and 5am).  A moment I will never forget.....walking with just a few.....feeling tired.....in pain.....surrounded by beautiful candlelit messages that inspire and help you push through.....your mind filling with thoughts and memories.  Even in the moments when I was alone, I never really felt alone. 

It was powerful and whenever I think back, I get goosebumps. 

 

   

This page started as most of mine do.....grabbing a base page, and then shuffling around with whatever is on my desk.  The torn strips I added to the top and bottom of the layout, is a great way to use up some of your scraps.

 

 

For this layout I used some Simple Stories, Basic Grey B Side,

My Minds Eye and of course some 2 Crafty Chipboard.

 

I hope you can fit in some time to scrap a moment that you never want to forget.

 

See you next week!

Designing for All About Scrapbooks......getting my B Side on!

Hi everyone, well can you believe it's Friday already?? 

And nearly halfway through December? Aaaargh!

 

So I got to play with the goregeous Basic Grey Range....'B Side' as part of my Design Team work for All About Scrapbooks. This layout is so fun and bright, and very suitable for teens, full of blacks, teals, yellows and pinks.  I have lots of pages planned  for my teenage daughter, but first I thought I'd create a page using none of the pink - which opens up the range to so much more (not that you can't use pink on a boys page, right?).

 

 

For this layout, I spread a little gesso, this time just using my finger.  I then stamped randomly with a Kaisercraft background stamp - triangles. I then started layering my papers together - and of course a bit of what was on my desk made it onto the page too (My Minds Eye - My Story),

Simple Stories - DIY and Cocoa Vanilla - Hello Lovely.

I always keep my scraps on my desk from the last couple of layouts....and its amazing how many sneak their way onto my pages.  I find it really handy, plus I love mixing up ranges (might have something to do with my quilting background)!

 

 

Anyway, I've digressed......I took inspiration from the background stamp, and added some 2Crafty chipboard  (I love this triangle design - appearing on lots of my layouts recently) -  I covered the chipboard in paper from the range, and stuck them down in random clusters on the page.

 

And that's about it!

 

Minecraft Mania - All About Scrapbook Designing

Hi everyone, so I'm back to share another layout I designed for the wonderful scrapbook store All About Scrapbooks

 What a crazy time of year this is, I struggle to balance everything that Term 4 throws at me! Plus combine that with tired kids, the Christmas preparation, extra work shifts (I work in retail), and the rest of life's surprises and you've got chaos!

I try to make time in there to scrap......yep it's hard to find the time, everything else can seem more important. But I've learnt to make it a priority, because when I do, I find it re-energises me.  It helps me to cope with the madness.  It calms my soul.

I hope that you can schedule some creative time for yourself too.

Trust me, you'll be glad you did.

This weeks layout features a photo from Book Week, earlier in the year. 

I have a daughter who is an avid reader, and a son who would rather be doing pretty much anything else!  So this year when it came to Book Week he was  pretty uninspired, but Mum had other ideas.

So to try and grab his interest I came up with the idea of Steve from Minecraft. Yes I know it's not a 'real' book character, but sometimes you've gotta break your own rules and go with whatever will work and engage.

So my son loved the concept.  He may not love to read (it's the sitting still that's the problem), but he loves to be creative, so we hunted for boxes, cut out stacks of little squares from coloured paper, and got to work.

And this layout shows the end result.  He did most of it himself, and was very pleased with his efforts.

 

 

Firstly I smeared paint randomly across my page, and then I hunted for as many square or 'box' looking things I could find.  I used stencils, stamps and the 2Crafty Chipboard was perfect!!

I was also pretty pleased to find some stickers that went really well with my theme.

Here's a close up:

 

 

Well that's it for me this week, I'll be back next week for another share.

Good luck coping with the craziness!!

Scrap the Girls December Reveal....

Guess what!!!!
It's the 1st of December!!!!! YAY!
I love this month.  I love the craziness, the magic, the memory making, the giving, the JOY!  Bring it on!!

A great way to kick off the month is with the Scrap the Girls December Challenge.
They've done it again, with an absolutely beautiful mood board.......

 

And here's my take on it...............

 

 

As you can see I was inspired by the colours and the beautiful butterflies.

 

 

This month's sponsor is the wonderful 2Crafty.  They have such a massive range of Chipboard.  I have used a couple of pieces on this layout - my title and the circular frame.  Pop on over to their store HERE and you can find amazing inspiration on their Blog.  This is somewhere I visit regularly.....just amazing work.

 

For even more inspiration head over to the Scrap the Girls blog and see my work along with the other awesome girls on the Design Team.

 

I hope you join in the challenge this month........Create a layout using the above moodboard as your inspiration.

 

Happy Scrapping, see you soon

xxx

 

 

 

More My Story for All About Scrapbooks

Hi everyone

I'm back to share another layout from the awesome 'My Story' Range available at All About Scrapbooks. Last week I did a bright funky page about myself and my daughter, and I was really taken with the gold accents.

So this week I decided to do a monochromatic page, using black, white and pops of gold.

 

I smeared some gesso over the paper, and then some gold paint.  I then gathered together scraps that happened to be sitting on my desk from other layouts,  from both the My Story range and also the Basic Grey Barista Range.  I also added a Simple Stories Frame - I am really loving the look of frames in the background of my layouts.  I like how it adds depth and layering without 'blocking' everything.  I love mixing up ranges.....at first it can be a little scary, but starting with a monochromatic theme can really help at first, as you are really only searching for one colour to mix.

I added embellishments to the layers - lots of word stickers, which I'm also a little obsessed with!  I cut a few arrows out of a 12x12 paper.  The gold in this paper range is stunning.  I love how it went so well with my bright, fresh layout from last week, but also feels so 'classy' added to black and white.

Of course a layout of mine at the moment wouldn't be complete without a few sequins.......here's a close up...

 

Back again soon!

I am so LOVING playing with these amazing products!!

 

 

Designing with My Story for All About Scrapbooks

Have you seen the gorgeous range 'My Story' by My Minds Eye?  It is divine. 
I am absolutely in love with it!! 
So in love that it sat on my desk for 2 weeks!! WHAT! I know crazy?? But it's one of those ranges I love so much that I just want to look at it....cutting into it seems so wrong.....thank goodness this only lasted 2 weeks and then that itchy feeling took over, and, well, the cutting began!!

Here's a little pic, so you understand what I'm talking about!

Sorry it's so small - but if you head HERE you will find the entire range available at All About Scrapbooks.

Here's the first layout I came up with.....the colours are beautiful -  pinks, golds, yellows and blacks.  I teamed them with a white background and I love the fresh modern feel it created.

And here's a closer look.

I created a watercolour background by using my Prima Watercolour Pencils.  I just use a small brush (nothing fancy), LOTS of water, and I brush it into the tip of the pencil and then apply to page.  For this soft pink colour, I didn't brush for long on the pencil tip - as I didn't want a lot of depth.
It's important to note that before doing any of this, I apply a clear/transparent gesso to my page as this creates a barrier for the watercolour to sit onto.

I then added a few layers of some of the patterned papers - they are gorgeous! I cut a few random triangles as well, added some stickers, a flair, some twine, sequins and a chipboard 2 Crafty arrow (painted black).  The pops of gold throughout this range are simply stunning.

I'll be back soon with another layout created from this paper range soon.

Thanks for stopping by.
xx

A quick card

Hi everyone.

Today I am sharing a recent card I made.......

I wanted the card to have a vintage feel.  It's a sympathy card for friends of mine who said goodbye to their father/grandpa.  Sad times.

It's not often I find the time to create a card, but when I do I try to treat it like a layout - that's why I like a square card, as it feels like familiar territory!

 

 

Thanks for joining me today.......

 

 

Feeling Lucky - designing for All About Scrapbooks

Hi Everyone.

Well it's Friday already, so it's my turn to share over at All About Scrapbooks

Today I have a bright layout I created using Bella Boulevard and Simple Stories DIY Boutique.  These two ranges blend together so easily!

I love the little frame embellishments you are seeing everywhere at the moment....there are many available in sticker form or die cut form.  I love using them in layers behind my photos.  These ones from Simple Stories really appealed due to the colours and words on them!  I know they will go with so many different ranges.

 

 

As the background paper I chose was really busy, I toned it down a little with gesso, and then stamped with a triangle stamp, to tie in with the triangle paper.  I added the frames, a few painted chipboard stars and a few pops of embellishements.

 

I loved creating this page and can't wait to do a few more with my leftover bits and pieces from these ranges.

Hope you get to play too.

Bye for now.

Deer and Fawn's November Challenge

 

Hi everyone

Hope you have some plans for the upcoming weekend.   I really hope some of it includes some time for you......some scrappy time.

To kick start you into the weekend, I've got my Deer and Fawn November Challenge to share.
It's a great one......super cute and colourful and will have you jump started into a layout in no time.
So the challenge is.....to use this cute birdy as your inspiration....and create anything you want.... it could be a layout, mixed media or what ever you want to create....please note you can use ANY products you like for this project!!

 

 

So cute right? Here's my take on it.....

 

 

As soon as I saw the little birdy.....I was reminded of this quote, which is something I say to my daughter, whenever she is feeling a bit uncertain......whenever she needs to be brave.

 

 

As I hunted through my stash for the gorgeous colours, I discovered something......I have no purple! I know right?  I'm not a fan of  the colour purple, but I was a bit shocked to find so little.  I had some alpha stickers and a resin bird (perfect!!) but absolutely no paper, so my solution....watercolour paint.  I love this stuff.  I love the arty look....and its pretty forgiving, and oh yeah lots of fun! 

 

I can't wait to see what you guys come up with.....

So make sure you upload your creation to the side bar before the 30th November to be in the running for the following prizes....

Deer Designer Choice Award -
D-Lish Scraps "Just Add Paper Kit"

Random Draw Award - Donated by Deer & Fawn Designs
Project Life Everyday Edition 6x6 Paper Pad
Project Life Everyday Speciality Cards
Project Life Forever Young Speciality Cards
Project Life Sweet Edition Speciality Cards x 2

These are fantastic prizes!!! I wish I could enter!!

See you next week,

Tam

xx

 

All About Scrapbooks Designing - Hello

Hi everyone
I'm back with another of my designs for All About Scrapbooks.  Yep I am loving this gig!
Vanessa stocks Cocoa Vanilla Studio - an Aussie Brand - whoot whoot! I've been loving playing with the Hello Lovely range.
This is the third layout I've created with this line - it's just so easy to work with!
You may have worked out by now that I'm drawn to black and white on my layouts.  I just find they make a great base to your layout.  I'm also very drawn to words, especially hand-scripted ones, so the ephemera in this range is right up my alley!
For this range I added turquoise, grey and woodgrain to the black and white palette.  I started by smearing some gesso using a very cool circle stencil.
Once this dried I added a few strips of patterned paper, some stickers, die cuts, and wood veneer.  This range truly has everything.  I was really drawn to the butterflies in the die cut pack, and so I punched a few extra out from leftover paper. 

I added some 2 Crafty chipboard, and some sequins to finish off the page.  I really love the colour palette, and this could easily be used to create boyish pages too.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by.

Happy scrapping!

 

November Scrap the Girls Reveal!

Hi everyone.....
Well a new month is here.....I'm excited to reveal the November Challege at Scrap the Girls.
This month its a gorgeous sketch.
Here it is:

And here's my take on it:

I scrapped a photo of me and my girl, and had a lot of fun adding  all the flowers....there's paper, metal, chipboard, wood, crochet, sequins and plastic flowers in there......even some clear snowflakes....hard to see but add a really cool texture.  I dug out some old stuff from my stash and teamed it with some splashes of new, and I love it!

I hope you get a chance to play along this month.....don't forget there's a cool prize up for offer.....
A $25 voucher from Pretty Pink Posh!! (postage not included).  They have some gorgeous scrappy stuff.

Head on over to the Scrap the Girls Blog to see the other Design Team's inspiration.....those girls are amazing!

I look forward to checking out your entries.
Back again soon!

Bella Boulevard Just Add Color Layout 2 - Designing for All About Scrapbooks

Today I'm sharing another page I created for All About Scrapbooks.
Seriously, I think I may have the best job in the world!! The amazing goodies I get to play with.  Vanessa truly has the BEST stuff!!! You can check out the SHOP here.
I feel so grateful and like the luckiest girl around! 
This layout is another bright and happy one, using the Bella Boulevard Just Add Color.  Some of you may remember I recently did a layout of my son with this range, using black, white and green.  I thought I'd make this one a bit more girly, and instead of adding 1 main colour, I decided to go with a rainbow!!

 

I hand painted the hearts in some bright colour (quite therapeutic), and then added a few stickers, some 2 Crafty chipboard, and really that was about it.....quick and simple, yet bright and happy, just like my gorgeous girl.

 

 

 

 

I love how this paper range lends itself to either really 'boy' or really 'girl' pages.....the simple black and white makes it easy....just add your favourite colour, or like I did here, add a few!

I'll be back soon to share some more....thanks for stopping by.

Deer and Fawn - Project Life Catch Up

Happy FriYay everyone!
I'm back on the Deer and Fawn blog today with another Project Life spread......yep I'm determined to catch up!! I've still got a long way to go, but I'm one step closer.  One week closer.
And yep it feels good.....feels good to immerse myself in a week of our lives.....feels good to relive a week that was.....feels good to remind myself of what's important.....feels good to focus on the important aspects of the week......feels good to be reminded of the good that is there in my everyday life.

Here's the left side:

And the right:

And I created a few little flaps using washi tape....... I love that it means I can add in more photos or more journaling......and it's so easy to do!

.....1 more down, only another 15 to go!!  Eeeek!
Baby steps....

So how's your catch up going??
I'd love for you to share it with me.
See you soon.
xxx

All About Scrapbooks - More Cocoa Vanilla Hello Lovely

Hi there
I'm here to share another of my designs for All About Scrapbooks.

Lately I've been playing around with the gorgeous Hello Lovely range by Cocoa Vanilla.  This range is correctly named as it truly is Lovely! 

You may remember the first layout I created with this range was soft and girly -  I used a baby photo.  This time I chose a photo of myself and my 'tween' girl.  I wanted the page to be more funky and cool and suited to her age, so I chose the bold stripe and the bold black and white floral.  I love these two papers together. I decided to keep it looking 'funky' I would just add 1 main colour - I went with pink.  I spritzed the background a little and then selected funky embellishments. Some I kept flat and others I raised with foam tape, to create some interest and depth to the layout.

 

This page came together really quickly and I love it!! I love how the papers suit my daughters age, and I love the little pops of 'woodgrain'.

 

 

Thanks for taking a look at my layout......I hope I have inspired you to have a play.
See you soon!

Project Life.....trying to catch up

Hi everyone!
My turn to share on the Deer and Fawn Blog.......so thought I'd share a Project Life Spread that I did a little while ago.....I hate admitting this but I am VERY behind on my Project Life.  Aaaaagh!  I'm usually only a couple of weeks behind, but I think I'm now a few months.  Yep it happens.  Life has taken over lately, and also I've been doing a lot more layouts and mixed media, which I'm just loving and I have more scrapping commitments than I've ever had, and well I've dropped the Project Life ball. 
I'm determined to try to catch up.  You see last year I completed a whole year, and I love looking back at it.  Many of you know that I love scrapping the everyday stuff....the real stuff.....not just the perfect 'looking at the camera, smiling' photos.  I love looking back on what we were doing each week, what we were eating, wearing, watching, making, reading etc. 
So I'm hoping this year it doesn't beat me. 
So I'm hoping that sharing this will inspire me to continue my Project Life journey......

 

Here's the left side:

 

 

And the right:

  

I love doing pages with black, white and one colour (monochromatic).  I find it makes the process a little simpler......less choices!!
So who else is behind in Project Life and wants to play catch up with me???
Together we can do this!!

All About Scrapbooks Design Team Share

Good morning everyone

I'm back and have a very pretty layout to share today as part of my DT work for All About Scrapbooks.  I got to play with the Hello Lovely range from Cocoa Vanilla.  These products are gorgeous! They have the most wonderful ephemera/diecuts that co-ordinate beautifully with the papers.  They really make putting the page together so simple.

 

 

I started by spritzing the background with a pretty stencil, not too much, just a hint peeking out from my planned layers/clusters.  I selected a gorgeous photo taken of my brand new beautiful niece and her big sister, who live in Texas.  This photo makes my heart swell! It just captures that moment of love so perfectly.  Having a photo like this also makes the photo come together easily.  Oh how I wish they didn't live so far away! And how I wish it was me who took that photo!

I then began layering and clustering and finished it off with a couple of pieces of  gesso sprayed 2 Crafty Chipboard, and a few sequins.

 

Here's a close up:

 

I can highly recommend Cocoa Vanilla's products.  One of the biggest bonuses is that they are Australian!! How awesome is that.  I hope you get a chance to play with some too.

 

See you again soon!

Happy FriYAY!

Hello everyone.....I'm here to share a layout I created for Deer and Fawn Designs that celebrates a moment I've been wanting to capture for a while.  Don't you just love how scrapping helps you cement that memory into your brain.

As this layout celebrates my 'tween' daughter and her girlfriends, I chose to go with bright colours.  I teamed it with a grey background paper - the grey acts as a neutral, however, because it was quite 'busy' with words, I toned these down by swiping with gesso.  I then added a few splashes of watercolour and then layered up with my patterned papers.  I added pops of black to ground the layout and of course I added in the most important part....the journaling.

 

 

 

 

Besides the 'playing', journaling is my favourite part of scrapping.  I love words.  I love stories.  I love how words sound together and create a story.  I love telling the everyday stories of our lives.....the ones that aren't that important to others, but are so important to us.  The ones that make us who we are, that make us a family, that define us.  The everyday details that really matter.

 

Journaling is how I begin and end every layout. If I don't have the story in mind that I want to tell, then the rest just doesn't happen.  I get stuck. I end up shuffling, procrastinating.  However, if I start with the story, the rest just flows, the process continues.

 

So as I scrap, the story rolls around in my mind.  I relive the memories, and I often process/organise my thoughts and feelings around the story.  It's like therapy.  It re-focuses my mind on the important stuff in life, it let's the rest of the 'stuff' falls away.

The final thing I do is put pen to paper. I let the words/thoughts that have been swirling around become real. 

I love that my pages contain my stories.  They are my truths.

 

So next time you scrap, don't forget to pick up a pen.

 

See you soon!

 

Designing for All About Scrapbooks!

Hi everyone! I'm back to share another project I've been working on for my designing with All About Scrapbooks. This time I played with a few bits and pieces from the fun Bella Boulevard Just Add Color range. 

Recently my son was in his final Sports Day at Primary School.  He was a House Leader for the Green Team - not only did they win the day but he won Boy Champion! An awesome finish to his primary school years which I definitely needed to scrap!  The black and white star paper was a perfect match for this story....and I added green! An easy choice as this was his house colour. 

 

 

I started by swiping some Dylusions Paint straight onto my paper - I wanted to keep it to one side - to give the page a focal  point.  Once this dried, I added a few strips of paper and stamped with white ink onto the black paint.  This formed my background. 

 I then randomly painted some of the background stars on the paper green, and added some 2Crafty chipboard - I also painted this green, and added Dimensional Magic too - I wanted to give it a bit of shine and 'pop'.  I love how Dimensional Magic on Chipboard gives it a real resin finish.

I then hunted for lots of embellishments in black/white and green (oh how I adore this colour combo!).  I think it really pops!  I found that the Bella Boulevard Stickers went perfectly, but also so did the Cocoa Vanilla Made of Awesome range!  I love mixing ranges together.  I find it helps me be more creative. Finally I added a bit of journaling, and that's about it!

 

(Out for Publication)

 

Shop at All About Scrapbooks for these and more awesome scrappy products!

 

Thanks for popping in for a look - see you soon! 

My first post as a Designer for All About Scrapbooks!!

Hi everyone! I'm super happy to be sharing my first project as a Design Team Member for All About Scrapbooks!!

 

I was lucky enough to get my hands on some of the new Basic Grey Barista Range in my DT Box. 

This is a gorgeous range, with lots of neutrals, and splashes of mustard.  It has a real

coffee/tea inspired theme, but the colours lend itself to so many options. 

As soon as I saw the leaf paper and the grey, blacks and cream tones I knew I wanted to

scrap some photos taken recently at my step-dad's.  It was cold and wintery but we all

went for a lovely walk in the nearby forest - just beautiful!

 

I just love that grey wood background paper....and had a lovely time cutting out all the 

leaves - quite therapeutic!  I then folded them inwards to give them a bit of dimension.  I used a few stickers, as the words along the sides, and I also used some of the frame stickers

behind my photos. 

Here's a close up which shows the dimension in the leaves a bit more clearly :

(Out for Publication)

 

A few paint splatters, some sequins and 2Crafty Chipboard completes the page.

This range is really easy to work with......the possibilities are endless!

 

For all these products, and a heap more, pop over to All About Scrapbooks now!! You'll get brilliant service too!!

 

See you again soon!

Deer and Fawn's October Challenge and a New Design Team Line Up!!

Hi Everyone!

I'm pretty excited to be here today and share my take on this months challenge over at Deer and Fawn ......'About Me'.......
But before I do, I want to extend a huge welcome to out amazing new Deer and Fawn Designers!!! Have you seen the new line up of talent???? It's pretty impressive. I can't wait to get creative with these girls!  We have lots of great stuff planned....it's pretty exciting.  So keep popping in to check out all the inspiration and plans that Debbie and the rest of us Deer and Fawnies have.  We look forward to sharing with you fellow creatives.

So back to 'About Me'.....
Yep this is a topic we all struggle with, not just scrapping and telling our stories, but actually getting in the photos! So I advise taking a leaf from my teenage daughter's book.....and take a 'selfie'....yep  flip that phone around and get a photo of yourself.  We have the beauty of pressing delete, and also of adding a filter.....so come on, have a go....and if you can't bear to take a head shot......take a feet selfie!!
I had a lot of fun playing with this one......I created a watercolour background, and used some of my favourite colours.  I've been loving all the triangles around at the moment and have been wanting to give them a go for a while.  I can highly recommend it - they were so fun. I cut out lots of different sizes and also hand drew some too.

Here's my layout:

And a close up:

 

Don't forget we have some amazing prizes up for grabs, thanks to this month's sponsors.

 

The Deer Designer Pick is: A Prize Pack from:

 

And the random draw prize is:

5 packs of enamel dots and a 15% off voucher. 

 

Pretty Cool Prizes hey?

 

I really look forward to seeing all your entries and learning lots about you all!

Be back soon

xx